California Supreme Court says GIS data are public dataDirections MagazineOrange County's attempt to get more money from people trying to access its database of information about land parcels is contrary to the law, the California Supreme Court says. ... "We hold that although GIS mapping software falls within the ambit of ... statutory exclusion, a GIS-formatted database like the OC Landbase does not."

Reviewing the 2013 Esri UC plenaryDirections MagazineAs is the tradition at Directions Magazine, our editors explore and critique the key ideas and announcements from the opening plenary at the Esri International User Conference held Monday morning in San Diego.

Smart grid futures: New research coalition points to key issuesSmart Grid NewsOn the surface, a recent release by IBM is a typical IBM effort. The company has gathered several key customers to share the costs of research. But notice that this effort is focused on predictive analytics. Then remember that analytics thought leader SAS Systems has just made a major push into smart grid analytics, as has superstar startup C3 Energy.

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Google tips on securing your WiFi networkGIS UserI bet you've noticed many of your neighbors have unsecured WiFI, and I also guarantee to you that many of them have not altered the default settings on their routers as well! Google has a cool resource know as their Good to Know site, and they've also shared a fun video and blog on tips for securing your WiFi.

Congress slashes civil GPS fundingInside GNSSIn a set of decisions that could potentially slow GPS modernization both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees this week slashed funding for the civil community's contribution to the GPS system from the Fiscal Year 2014 budget.

SAP, Esri step up geospatial analysisInformation WeekSAP had a geospatial deal here with Google and a deal there with Tomtom and Nokia. But where enterprise-grade geographic information systems are concerned, Esri is the blue-chip provider of location analytics and geo-enablement. Thus, SAP announced it will partner with Esri to integrate its ArcGIS platform with the Hana database, BusinessObjects analytics and the SAP Mobile platform.

Falcone works to block Ergen from LightSquaredFierce WirelessLightSquared financier Philip Falcone is preparing to submit a reorganization plan to a bankruptcy judge that would specifically block Dish Network's Charlie Ergen from receiving compensation, according to a report from the New York Post that cited unnamed sources. Ergen reportedly has collected more than half of LightSquared's $1.7 billion in secured loans through hedge fund firm Sound Point Capital Management with an eye toward acquiring the company.

Benefits of a cloud-first-approach in the public sectorGeoplaceAs a flexible infrastructure tool, the cloud offers many benefits, including an opportunity for the public sector to "do more with less." It's now common to see governments at all levels — local, regional, state and federal — using the cloud to host internal applications or public-facing Web sites, enabling them to achieve superior uptime at lower costs than ever before.

Premature launch may have doomed GLONASS satellitesInside GNSSA special commission conducting a criminal investigation into the failed attempt to place three GLONASS satellites into orbit is looking at premature launch as a likely cause of the Proton-M rocket crash. Citing an unnamed space industry source, the official RIA Novosti news agency said that the commission is also considering other possible scenarios surrounding the botched launch at the Baikonur space facility in Kazahkstan.